1. Field of the Invention
Optical motion capture systems generally employ reflective patches adhered or sewn to an actor's clothing, and a light shining on the actor. Optical cameras record the reflections from the patches, and a processing system processes the images recorded by the cameras to determine the positions of the patches as the actor moves through a scene. Examples of optical motion capture systems include U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,580,811 entitled Wavelet-Based Facial Motion Capture for Avatar Animation, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,567,116 entitled Multiple Object Tracking System. The former patent incorporates wavelet transforms for feature detection and tracking. Optical motion tracking systems are limited to line-of-sight operation. Once a particular patch has been hidden from view by an actor s movement and the patch then reemerges into view, an operator must generally identify for the system by hand the reappeared patch.
2. Description of Related Art
The term motion capture or motion tracking refers to tracking one or more objects or positions on an object or objects, and quantizing and recording the objects' positions as they move through space. The space can be 1-dimensional, 2-dimensional, or more commonly, 3-dimensional space. In many applications such as gait analysis a number of points on the object are to be tracked so as to effectively track, quantize, and record the linear and rotational movements of the component parts of the object such as the joints and limbs. Motion capture allows a live performance to be translated into a digital performance. Motion capture is becoming increasingly important in the entertainment industry, in which it is desirable to track many points on a person such as a stunt person and any objects which the actor may be carrying or are otherwise associated with the actor. Once the movements of the person's limbs and any associated objects have been digitally captured, the movement data can be used to digitally superimpose the person into a different environment, or to digitally recreate a different character such as a different actor or a creature performing those same or similar movements. The resulting digitally created images can be used in motion pictures, video games, virtual reality systems, and similar applications. In sports, precisely tracking movements of body parts and appendages can be used, for example, to analyze and correct a person's golf swing.
A number of prior art motion tracking techniques exist. The principal technologies previously used for motion capture are optical, electromagnetic, and electromechanical systems. Several RF systems have also been proposed or are in use. Systems based on the Global Position System (GPS) and its array of satellites can also be used to track the positions of objects on the earth such as cargo containers, although GPS based systems are relatively slow, inaccurate, bulky, and expensive for the types of applications for which motion capture systems are typically used.
Optical Motion Capture Systems
Optical motion capture systems generally employ reflective patches adhered or sewn to an actor's clothing, and a light shining on the actor. Optical cameras record the reflections from the patches, and a processing system processes the images recorded by the cameras to determine the positions of the patches as the actor moves through a scene. Examples of optical motion capture systems include U.S. Pat. No. 6,580,511 entitled Wavelet-Based Facial Motion Capture for Avatar Animation, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,567,116 entitled Multiple Object Tracking System. The former patent incorporates wavelet transforms for feature detection and tracking. Optical motion tracking systems are limited to line-of-sight operation. Once a particular patch has been hidden from view by an actor's movement and the patch then reemerges into view, an operator must generally identify for the system by hand the reappeared patch.
Electromagnetic Trackers
Electromagnetic trackers generally work on the principle that a tag creates an electromagnetic field around it, or induces disturbances in an electromagnetic field which has been induced across the capture zone. Examples of Magnetic Field motion capture systems include U.S. Pat. No. 6,549,004 entitled Distributed Magnetic Field Positioning System Using Code Division Multiple Access, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,400,139 entitled Methods and Apparatus for Electromagnetic Position and Orientation Tracking with Distortion Compensation. The former patent uses code division multiple access (CDMA) to distinguish between beacons, purportedly allowing for larger capture zones and reduced interference.
Electromechanical Devices and Suits
Electromechanical devices and suits generally employ electromechanical sensors such as potentiometers to capture movements such as rotations of joints. The sensors can be connected by wires to the processing system, or the output of the sensors can be transmitted via a wireless connection. Electromechanical suits have been widely used in virtual reality simulation systems. Examples of electromechanical motion tracking systems include U.S. Pat. No. 6,563,107 entitled Topological and Motion Measuring Tool, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,070,269 entitled Data-Suit for Real-Time Computer Animation and Virtual Reality Applications. Electromechanical systems are often bulky and obtrusive, and are not well suited for tracking the relative movement of independent objects.
Radio Frequency Systems
Several radio frequency (RF) systems have also been proposed. U.S. Pat. No. 6,204,813 purports to describe a radio frequency positioning system that determines identity and positional data of numerous objects. The system includes a plurality of spread-spectrum radio transceivers where at least one transceiver is positioned on each of the numerous objects. At least three spread-spectrum radio transceivers transmit to and receive signals from the plurality of radio transceivers. A signal processor is coupled to the spread-spectrum radio transceivers and determines the identity and the positional data of the objects.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,583,517 is directed to a multi-path resistant frequency-hopped spread-spectrum mobile location system. The frequency-hopped spread-spectrum mobile vehicle or person location system consists of a central station, a plurality of base stations and a plurality of mobile transmitters which transmit using a frequency-hopped spread-spectrum differential bi-phase shift keying (BPSK) communication signal. Each of the plurality of base stations includes an array of receiving dipole antennas and employs a special algorithm for retrieving very low power frequency-hopped spread-spectrum signals in a noisy and multi-path environment. The base stations use computational algorithms for determining the phase difference between each of the receiving dipole antennas to determine the direction of the transmitter relative to the location of the respective base station. The multiple directions of arrival angles of the received signal at each base station are corrected based on an n-dimensional ambiguity space to locate the most probable angles of arrival.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,513,854 describes a system in which each player on a field carries a miniaturized radio frequency transmitter. A set of at least three radio frequency goniometric receivers determines the direction from which the transmitters transmit. A digital processor uses triangulation methods to determine the position of the transmitters.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,438,321 describes a location system for tracking miners underground. The system includes a number of identification stations connected to a central control station. Miners are issued portable identification modules which are fitted to their caplamps. The identification modules transmit unique identification signals at intervals, which are picked up by the identification stations. Miners who are issued a caplamp first pass an identification card through a reader which reads a unique personal identification code from the card. The system includes a direction finding receiver adapted to receive and display the identification code transmitted by the identification module of a lost miner.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,056,106 describes a system which employs a spread-spectrum based radiolocation system, using hand-held receiver units and fixed-position reference transmitters, to determine distance and direction between a golfer and key locations on a golf course. The plurality of timing reference transmitters which are located throughout the vicinity of the golf course broadcast a spread-spectrum ranging signal consisting of a radio-frequency carrier directly modulated by a periodic pseudo-noise (PN) coded or similar sequence. Each transmitter broadcasts at the same RF signal but a unique PN-coded sequence is assigned to each transmitter. Golfers are provided with the hand-held receiving unit which receives the transmitter spread-spectrum signals and which synchronizes to the spread-spectrum signals in order to obtain range estimates to a selected set of reference transmitters.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,660,039 describes a system for locating a sport object. The user carries a radiofrequency transmitter, and the sport object has a conductive stripe which has an effective length of λ/4 at the signal frequency so that the conductive stripe increases the load on the transmitter as the transmitter moves closer to the sport object.